Moms are Superheroes, Too!

Even at a young age, your child’s life is full of many milestones. Rolling over, sitting up, crawling, teething, walking, talking…most are pretty exciting for parents. Then, suddenly – it’s time for potty training!

I think I can speak for parents everywhere when I say that just reading that may give us a feeling of dread!

With my first, potty training was a dream! By the second week, there were zero accidents, dry at nap/bedtime, diapers were almost immediately a thing of the past and I don’t think I even bought one package of pull-ups!

Then along came my second – the wild child.

I wasn’t naive enough to think it would be a cakewalk again – the opposite, in fact. I figured it would be a complete nightmare, or take forever, millions of accidents, no end in sight, etc.

And unfortunately, I was correct!

In the end, after a few months, she is finally in undies full time, with very, very rare accidents. She is still in a pull up at night, but that’s okay. Here are a few tips I learned along the way that worked for us!

Don’t push them – THEY have to be ready to try. Initially, I was pretty gung-ho about the whole thing. We started on a Friday, aiming to be in nothing but undies and a tee-shirt for the weekend, not leaving the house, potty in the living room – thought we were good to go! After a day of nothing but accidents, with my little one giving ZERO effs, we decided to take a break and try again at a later date.

Don’t shame them. Accidents are inevitable during potty training, that goes without saying. At first, it’s easy to just let it go and move on. After a few days (or weeks!) of it though, your patience will become tested. It is so important to remember that this is a learning experience for both of you. It may take a while for your little to recognize the feeling of needing to go potty, and being able to hold it and make it to the potty. At this stage, your child isn’t going to have an accident just to spite you, or as a way to act out.

Don’t be afraid to switch it up. Sometimes kids can just go right to undies. Some moms might want to start their kiddos out with pull-ups and make their way to underwear down the line. Some kids can put undies on under their pants and not have a problem, other ones do better with no pants on – or even no undies for awhile! If one method isn’t working, try not to get frustrated. Just switch it up and keep going.

Reward them. When they get to the potty on time and their pants are dry, it’s important to act like this is the BEST thing you’ve ever seen! Throw your hands up, jump up and down, give lots of high fives and hugs and praise. If you get excited about it, they will too! In addition to that, it can be helpful to have some sort of chart with a reward at the end, or a small treat every time a trip to the potty was successful.

Don’t be above bribery. In the end, the last resort in our house became bribery. I’m not proud to admit it, but it’s the one thing that ended up working! Initially, with my little girl, I knew there were some things she wanted and we could work towards a toy as the main goal. That worked at first, but when all was said and done, what really got the job done was buying a couple of smaller things she was coveting, leaving them on display until she earned them. That may sound a little drastic or even harsh, and it did to me too at first. But, desperate times call for desperate measures! And she was none worse for wear.

Always remember potty training is a huge milestone and something that is guaranteed to challenge you and your little one at some point in the process. But don’t forget that there is a light at the end of the tunnel – and soon diapers will be a thing of the past!

When you’re a blogger – especially a mom blogger – finding friends in fellow bloggers is important. Today, I wanted to share with you some blogs I’ve come across that I’ve added to my follow list! Please take a minute to see what they say about themselves, and go check them out. You may find some more blogs to add to your list as well. 🙂

I’m Shay and I’m just your average boymom! I love sharing simple tips for moms, fun activities for the kids, and crafts on a budget. As a military wife, I also really enjoy sharing tips and stories about life in the army. My goal is for my blog to have something to offer for all moms. We’re all on this mom boat together and we’re all just trying to make it to bedtime. Visit Shay at shay-and-sons.comhttps://www.instagram.com/shayandsons/

Hi, I’m Jenn! A mother, a behavior specialist, a business owner, wife of a scientist, and lover of all things fermented. I was blessed with six amazing kids that range in age from 4 to 24 years old. With a background in behavior, two marriages, and 20+ years of parenting, I’ve got a lot to say about family time and raising kids in different stages of life; where to take them, what to feed them, and how to keep them entertained. Plus, things to do to maintain my own sanity like traveling, crafting, cooking, and shopping. I’d love to share my wisdom with you, so visit me at onehoppymomma.com and don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage to enjoy while reading.instagram.com/onehoppymommafacebook.com/onehoppymommapinterest.com/onehoppymommahttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJEgn4UpVu7AvYjraiiPUQ

I am Haley Crenwelge. I am a college graduate, single mother, writer, dreamer, 911 dispatcher, and future police officer. I have a beautiful daughter named Cahtalina Daenarys who was conceived only a month before my boyfriend committed suicide. I write a lifestyle/journey blog geared towards single mothers and helping them achieve their personal goals while still keeping up with the responsibilities surrounding their title of mother. You can find Haley at thegermangypsy.com.

I am a 90’s child. I grew up in a time where we were outside more than we were in (in the warm seasons, anyway!), where we could leave in the morning with friends and not come back until dinner time (or until it got dark!), run around the neighborhood without a second thought. And it was AWESOME.

Unfortunately, it is now 30-some years later (waaaaaaah!) and times have changed.

I’ll be honest, we got a computer and dialup (shout out to AOL) when I was around 13 or 14, maybe? Of course, it was downstairs in the computer room (or den, according to my mom) and fairly private. For awhile, I spent my time online fangirling over the Backstreet Boys and any info I could find on them. Once I turned 16ish though, it was on. I was in chatrooms all the time. And man…mom, please skip this part…there was more than a few times when I would sneak out and meet up with random guys at night (or invite them over to my house, when my mom was out) after my parents were in bed. Ugh! So stupid, and gives me major heebs now. Thankfully, nothing scary happened. But you best believe that knowing FIRST HAND how sneaky teens can be, I will be all over my girls to make sure they never have a chance to do anything sketchy like I did!

My oldest is only ten – and my youngest is nearly three. I am hoping I won’t need to worry about any shady stuff from the ten year old for QUITE awhile. I do monitor her internet/tablet use, but like I mentioned – sneaky kids!

When the time comes however, I will be using this to go over some rules with her!

As the daughter of a firefighter, fire safety is something I am very passionate about! Sometimes, I admit I can take it too far – like not throwing away the empty popcorn bag straightaway, & instead letting it “cool off” on the counter – but for the most part, you can’t ever be too safe.

This is especially important with families with little ones…& even more so when it’s one parent home with multiple children.

My girls & I recently moved, & one of the first things we did after getting settled was go over our family fire safety plan. This includes general fire safety rules, but most importantly a plan of action in case we need to evacuate our home due to fire.

Of course, this topic can be distressing & scary for parents & children alike. However, it is SO important to all be on the same page in case an emergency arises.

I created this printable that I use with my own kids to go over our plan!

In ours, we have our address – important to memorize in case of any emergency – & in the “home escape route” box, I’ve drawn a little layout of our home with different escape routes in different colors. We also agreed on a family meeting spot outside.

Again, it can be scary to think about these things, especially when children are involved & it’s your home. But in the event that the worst happens, it’s always best to be prepared.

I’ve partnered with a fantastic Etsy shop to bring you guys a really fun giveaway – & even an extra treat!

I don’t want to reveal the details yet, as I’d like to grow my audience just a *bit* more first. For now, if you haven’t yet, please go like our Facebook page and follow our Instagram page! Once we get to 50 Facebook likes & 150 Instagrams followers, I will open up the giveaway & tell you all about it! And I can’t wait!

So, this seems an appropriate topic to follow up the Spring Cleaning Challenge, eh?

Any mama knows how even the most careful child can destroy something with a little juice or a granola bar in under six seconds. It’s like it’s in their blood. Because of this, most of us just give in, accept that we can’t have nice things for awhile, & let them do what they do (for the most part). That’s kind of the camp I’m in. But at the same time, I deserve nice things! Or at least a couch that doesn’t look like it’s stewing in 7 different liquids & who knows what else!

So, I got fed up one day – & by fed up I guess I just mean completely & utterly disgusted & set out to find a way to undo the weeks of water, juice, & the ONE milk spot that’s been driving me crazy on our microfiber couch.

After some research, I found out through the Google that this was a super simple & cheap fix! Little things like that excite me – sadly – so I got down to business right away.

First of all, a repulsive before shot. In my defense, the picture made it look worse than it was. Still gross, but not AS gross. Anyway, I grabbed my trusty bottle of rubbing alcohol – got REAL excited when my spray nozzle fit right on the actual bottle! – & got down to business.

Ugh, major heebs. Using a white rag was a little fun too, in the way that it showed me how much gunk I was getting up…

…and I had no idea there was green marker anywhere.

But, behold – the AFTERS!

Both the ottoman & couch cushion were still wet when I took these, but they even dried quickly. I am still so amazed by this!!

All I needed was a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol, rags, & a brush to “fluff” the fibers after it dried.

Step by step, here’s what I did:

1. Evenly “soak” the cushion with the alcohol. I say soak, but I really just mean cover the whole thing enough that you can scrub it.

2. Grab your rag & start scrubbing the funk away.

3. Let dry.

4. Brush/fluff up with a stiffer bristled brush when completely dry.

And that is it! I did however test a small, inconspicuous spot with the alcohol first, to make sure it didn’t do anything weird to the color. It didn’t, but I’d recommend trying that too before you start, just in case!

I am so beyond excited about this. I’m actually looking forward to finishing up the rest of the couch!

And honestly, I’m sure in a few weeks I’ll be back to doing it again….sippie cups be damned. At least now I know it will only take a few minutes of my time to have our couch looking brand spanking new next time!

This post contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission – at no extra cost to you! – if you make a purchase through my link. Thank you!

Whew! So, its finally March…which means Spring is just over a week away! I mean, we still have like 16 feet of snow outside and its only 20ish degrees, but…I’ve got faith, man! It has to warm up eventually, right?

Fingers crossed!

I am definitely more of an Autumn person – jeans & hoodies & bonfires, yes please! – but Spring is alright. My second favorite part about it – after finally being able to open the windows with warm air coming inside! – is spring cleaning! I guess *favorite* might be a little bit of a stretch, but I do love the feeling of a deep cleaned house after being cooped up and closed up all winter long.

So, starting March 18th, I will be doing a 21 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! I’ve divided up a list into one little thing each day for three weeks. I’ve also created a printable for y’all to follow along with me, or start whenever you feel like!

It took me awhile, but I’ve gotten to a point where I actually do enjoy cleaning. One thing I’ve found recently that I love are these swedish dishcloths! I love anything reusable, and to cut down on our waste. I’ve worked these into our budget to be able to purchase periodically, and I am obsessed. They dry pretty quickly, and I’m able to just pop them in the dishwasher once they are dirty to clean/sanitize them. They don’t get that stinky dishrag smell either, which I absolutely ABHOR, so that makes me really happy! So far I just use them specifically for cleaning, and maybe wiping up things around the kitchen. Eventually I plan to hopefully replace our paper towels with them. Another thing I love having around the house (mainly for the kitchen/bathroom) are these microfiber cloths. They are a bit cheaper, so I have quite a bit of them around already. I actually keep this laundry hamper in our front closet to just toss the rags/washcloths in every day, to wash at the end of the week. Its super handy and makes me feel a lot better than throwing gross rags into our clothes baskets.

I hope you will join me in this challenge! And if you have any helpful cleaning tips to share, please drop a comment below!